Process of treating titaniferous iron ores and the products thereof



Patented June 16, 1925.

- ITED ST TES 1.542.3 0 PATIENT orrlcs.

IRWIN AND REGINALD HILL MONK, BOTH MONTREAL, CANADA.

PROCESS 01' TREATING TITANIFEROUS IRON ORES AND THE PRODUCTS THEREOF.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL RAYMOND WHIT- TEMORE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residin at the city of Montreal, in the Province 0 Quebec, Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Processes of Treating Titaniferous Iron Ores and the Products Thereof, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the treatment of titaniferous ores and particularly to those containing iron.

The object of my invention is the separation of the iron content from the titanium content.

A further object is the production from titaniferous ores of an iron solution adapted for electric deposition, or conversion into pigments.

A further object is the titaniferous residue adapte tion of titanium oxide.

A further object is to produce uniform products in treating titaniferous ores in which the proportions of iron and titamum (production of a for the extracma vary.

Iditherto by the methods emplpived for purpose of this seplaration the pro nets/resulting therefrom ave varied according to the proportions of the iron and titanium contents of the treated ores.

The process is s cially adapted for varying conditions. us where the percentage of titanium content in an ore is high the iron may be considered of little or no value. Where the iron content is big cheap, electrolytic iron may the end in I view and the titanium merely a waste or by product.

By-means of my process set forth in detail hereinafter a great economy in the uantity of reagents employed is secured an also a reductlon in the size of the apparatus required is obtained.

The process consists briefly in the prelimiconversion of the iron content into metallic iron in the form known as iron s nge, by means of a reduction of the ore to t e extent that the titanium content is unaffected. The iron nge is then dissolved out by a suitable so vent and a residue is produced high in titanium but with a minimum of iron. The iron solution may be utilized for electro deposition or the production of pigand power b Application filed July 28, 1924. Serial No. 728,711.

ments, while the residue with its high content of titanium is suitable for the product1on of tltanium oxide, now in demand as a pigment.

In order fullv disclose my recess and how the said roducts are obtained, I will now describe t e treatment of a titaniferous iron ore in detail. Taking for example such an we containing over 40% iron and over 30% titanium, the ore is ground to a fine powder and dressed if necessary to remove gangue matter in any convenient manner.

To this is added from 25% to 33% by weight of comminuted carbon suchas charcoal and the whole mass is thoroughly mixed.

The mixture is heated in a reducing furnace in the absence of air at a tem rature CARL BAYKOND WEITTEKOBE, OI MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ABSIGNOB '10 JOHN of about from 900 C. to 1050 C. or a penon-oxidizing atmosphere, and then subject ed to some form of separation such as magnetic se aration, to remove-the residual car- 'bon an any ash and gangue that remains in the mixture. This separation will be un-' necessary where the reduction is obtained y gases.

I am aware that U. S. Patent No. 921,685, May 18th, 1909, Production of titanium oxides, discloses a process of reducing ilmenite and removing t e reduced iron therefrom but this process is carried on at a high temperature about 1800 C. and it results 'in producing a fused or sintered mass which requires to be crushed before the iron content can be removed and which exhibits other objectionable characteristics. Whereas in my process I employ a comparatively low temperature from about 900 C. to 1050 C. appfoximatel in the reducing furnace, with t 0 result t at the finely ground iron ore is converted into metallic iron or what is known as iron sponge without any fusion or sintering, and remains still in a finely divided form. The material thus providedl is readily treatable in a magnetic separator or by other suitable means 'andls then .in a form and. cond tlon peculiarly adapted to the sub uent dissolution treatment as fully set fort hereinafter.

I have further found that the reduction of titaniferous iron ores to iron sponge can be effected completely at temperatures well over800 C.

The product of this separation is then treated in a leachingvat with a solvent to dissolve the metallic iron or sponge.

I refer to use a solution of ferric chloride l eCl as a solvent but dilute sulphuric acid or dilute hydrochloric acid may be substituted in some cases when a ferrous chloride product is not required.

If-ferric chloride is em loyed a temperature of about 80 C. is desirable, while in the case of using either of the acids no heating is necessary. The time required by the former treatment is much longer than that taken by either of the acids to completely dissolve the iron content.

The amount of solvent employed should be that approximately sufficient to dissolve the amount of iron content in the quantlty of the mixture being treated.

The solution containing the dissolved iron is then separated from the insoluble residue by decantation, filtration and washing.

What I claim is 1. The process of treating titaniferous ore containing iron, consisting of reducing the comminuted ore to convert the iron into sponge, but without fusion or sintering, leaching the reduced ore with sufficient solvent to dissolve the iron.

2. The process of treating titaniferous ore containing iron, consisting of reducing the comminuted ore at a tem erature of about from 900 C. to 1050 to convert the iron into sponge, but without fusion or sintering, leaching the reduced ore with suflicient solvent to dissolve the iron.

3. The process of treating titaniferous ore containing iron, consisting of reducing the comminuted ore with the addition of carbon at a temperature of about from 900 C. to 1050 (l, to convert the iron into sponge, but without fusion or sintering, the residual carbon ash and gangue, and

separating a. The process of treatingtitaniferous orecontaining iron, consisting in reducing the comminuted ore with the addition of from 25% to 33% of carbon, at a temperature of about from 900 the iron into sponge, but sintering, cooling in a mosphere, separatin ash and gangue, and leaching the residue with sufiicientsolventto dissolve the iron. 5. The process of treating titaniferous ore containing iron, consisting in reducing the comminuted ore with'the addition of from 25% to 33% of carbon, at a temperature of about from 900 C. to 1050 C. for a time sufiicient to convert the iron into s onge but without fusion or sintering, cooF non-oxidizing atmosphere, separatin residual carbon ash and gan without fusion or non-oxidizing the residual carbon the ing the residue with suflicient solvent to dissolve the iron. v

6. The process of treating titaniferous ore containing iron, consisting in reducing the comminuted ore with the addition of from 25% to 33% of carbon, at a temperature of about from 900 C. to 1050 C. for a time sufficient to convert the iron into s onge but without fusion or sintering, coo ing in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, separatin the residual carbon ash and gangue, and eaching the residue with suflicient solvent to gissrve the iron at a temperature of about 7. p The process of treating titaniferous ore containing iron, consisting in reducing the comminuted ore to convert the iron into sponge but without fusion or sintering, leaching the reduced ore with sufficient ferric chloride to dissolve the iron and withdrawing the solution, washing and drying the residue.

8. The process of treating titaniferous ore to eliminatethe iron content consisting of reducing the comminuted ore with the addition of carbon in a furnace at a temperature suflicient to convert the iron into the metallic state without fusion or sintering, but not sufficient to reduce the titanium content, and then dissolving out the iron.

CARL RAYMOND WHITTEMORE.

C. to 1050 0., to convert,

ing in a gue, and each- 

